My mate I go to dinner with just turned up (about 7.40pm), with the machine with the busted switch.

I found my bag of spare panel parts.. d'oh, no switches.. I did have some, but I used them on my mate's machine after the incorrectly labeled motherboard resulted in me connecting all the front panel cables incorrectly, and causing all the small gauge wires that run to the LEDs and switches etc to all get melted together.

I found an on off switch in the same sort of style as the switch I had to replace, but about twice the size.

I checked the electronics catalogue, nothing in a replacement part I could find.

I shoved the double size switch in there, but without the little plastic frame, it was about 10mm back from where it needed to be, so when the front panel power button gets pressed, it does nothing, because it's nowhere near the switch.

I got a match, and I trimmed it down until it was just the right length to go between the button and the switch. it seemed to work.

I used the meter to find the switched pins, soldered the wires on, spliced them in between green and ground on the ATX connector.

I plugged it in, and it seemed to work.

I don't know how long it will last. If it was mine, it would last forever, because the only time I ever push the power button is to turn things on that don't come back on automatically after a power outage, and when they do, I never touch the switch.

Anyway, if my kludgy match fix dies, then I'll just permanently short green and ground together, and the machine can be switched with the switch on the power supply.

We chatted for a while, he looked at the partially built server hanging around.

I gave him an IDE cable, I thought I had more. I need to get more.

He's just left, about 8.45pm. Time for dinner.